Husband accused in death of Stone Oak kindergarten teacher after house fire

Gary Hendry of New Braunfels was arrested in Mississippi on a murder warrant in the death of Gayle Hendry.

Photo: Courtesy

A New Braunfels man was arrested Wednesday in Mississippi in connection with the death of his wife, a Stone Oak kindergarten teacher whose body was found in their burned-down home early Tuesday.

Gary Hendry was arrested in Mississippi on Wednesday on a murder warrant in the death of Gayle Hendry, a 15-year-veteran at Specht Elementary School, the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung reported.

The New Braunfels Fire Department responded to a call for a structure fire in the 700 block of Forest Trail around 2:40 a.m. Tuesday, according to a Comal County Sheriff’s Office news release. After the fire was extinguished, a body was found.

Specht Elementary Principal Jackie Sundt sent a letter to parents Wednesday confirming that Hendry died in the fire.

Sundt said Thursday that Hendry was “deeply loved, not just by our staff, but the entire community.”

A Rankin County sheriff’s deputy made a traffic stop near Pelahatchie in central Mississippi and found the 60-year-old suspect with weapons in his vehicle, the newspaper reported. WLOX reported that Gary Hendry was driving a gray Dodge SUV.

The deputy “stopped Mr. Hendry at gunpoint,” a Rankin County undersheriff told the Herald-Zeitung. “When he got him in custody, (Hendry) asked why he stopped him. He advised that there was a (bulletin for his arrest) and asked if (Hendry) knew why. (Hendry) said that he did. That was the extent of the conversation.”

The Comal County Sheriff’s Office said detectives were headed to Mississippi to extradite Hendry on a murder warrant, the newspaper reported.

The county’s criminal investigations department did not immediately respond for comment.

Sundt wrote in the letter to parents that “it is with great sadness that I must inform you that we believe one of our kindergarten teachers, Gayle Hendry, tragically lost her life Tuesday morning in a house fire.”

On the Comal Independent School District’s website, Hendry’s “About Me’ page says she taught pre-kindergarten in San Antonio for 12 years before moving to Specht Elementary at Overlook Parkway in north Stone Oak.

“Young children keep us busy and challenged, but I wouldn’t change a thing,” she wrote. “We work hard in kindergarten, but we also have a lot of fun. Together, you and I will take your child on an eye-opening trip into the beginning of their school career.”

Kelsey Bradshaw is a digital reporter for mySA. She was previously a reporting intern covering Texas politics and government from the Chronicle's Austin Bureau. She is a Texas State University graduate with degrees in journalism and business administration, and previously worked for the Austin American-Statesman, the San Antonio Express-News and the University Star.